PURPOSE: final adoption of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2008.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: 2008/165/EC, Euratom.
CONTENT: the European Parliament adopted the European Union budget for 2008 on 18 December 2007. It is in line with the definitions set out by the budget authorities and with the European Parliament’s text adopted at second reading (see Parliament’s resolution of 13 December 2007).
The 2008 budget amounts to EUR 129.1 billion in commitment appropriations, an increase of 2.2% compared to 2007. It corresponds to 1.03% of the EU Gross National Income (GNI). A margin of EUR 3.7 billion remains available beneath the ceiling of the financial framework.
The payment appropriations amount to EUR 120.3 billion, or an increase of 5.7% in nominal terms. This represents a level of only 0.96% of EU-27 GNI.
The priorities of the 2008 budget for the European Union: the key priority for the European Union in 2008 is growth and employment. This involves a strengthening of budgetary expenditure under Heading 1 of the budget (see BUD/2007/2019).
Budget - other institutions: the budget of the institutions is also characterised by an increase of 4.4%. The budget of Heading 5 therefore increases to EUR 7.28 billion for 2008, including EUR 2.67 billion for all of the other institutions (European Parliament, Council, Court of Justice, Court of Auditors, Economic and Social Committee, Committee of the Regions, European Ombudsman and European Data Protection Supervisor).
On the whole, the budget of the institutions remains stable with measured and controlled increases according to needs related to enlargement.